Stuxnet Threat Gets Scarier

Modern Power Systems ©2010 ^ | 08 October 2010 | Staff

[Rabin]

Stuxnet is a Windows-specific computer worm first discovered in June 2010 by VirusBlokAda, a security firm based in Belarus. It is the first discovered worm that spies on and reprograms industrial systems. It was specifically written to attack Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems of the type used to control and monitor industrial processes.

[Rabin]

An upgrade of the power-station-attacking Stuxnet worm could be upon us soon, according to the latest gossip around cyberspace. United States plants are also at risk of being infected by the worm, now that its code has been posted on the internet.

[KoRn]

/mark

[Crazieman]

The USPS is heavily invested in Siemens control systems

[Uncle Ike]

” The USPS is heavily invested in Siemens control systems “

Perhaps the only case where being infected by the worm might actually *improve* operations.... ;)

[rockrr]

Or at least all those workstations that simultaneously host EMS, SCADA, and Facebook sessions LOL...

[proxy_user]

Er, not for Linux users....

[WestwardHo]

I don’t care, we get our power from windmills. It comes through the air or something.......

[muawiyah]

So, what about the control systems controlling the devices that detect poisons and biological hazards that may be entered in the mail?

Going after the sorting systems wouldn't seem to me to be a big payoff item ~ it'd slow down FCM, but not Standard (advertising) ~ but wiping out our ability to detect another Anthrax Attack would be major stuff.

[indthkr]

Stuxnet bump for later...........

[dr_who]

Courage!

[DNME]

This could indeed be an act of war against Iran. So?

Nobody got hurt and no cities were reduced to rubble. At least not yet, though it could happen if the wrong switch is electronically thrown.

Isn’t this the perfect kind of warfare for the 21st century? Shouldn’t the Left be dancing in the streets?

[Blood of Tyrants]

Only people who use Siemens. And even that could be fixed if a simple password is put into the PLC to prevent unauthorized access.

[justa-hairyape]

....has noted that 60 percent of the infected computers worldwide are in Iran, suggesting its industrial plants were the target.

Or possibly they were the source ? Could have been revolutionary subversion, industrial sabotage, internal act of foreign espionage or possibly a Weapon of Virtual Destruction that slipped its cage. And a remote possibility that the Iranians themselves created the worm and are playing victim to cover the distribution pattern. Why would the writer chose a date in 2012 to shut down the worm ? Has anyone, anywhere documented specific damage in the physical world from SCADA infection ?

[Blood of Tyrants]

Unfortunately, most SCADA systems that interface with PLCs do not run on Linux.

[infowarrior]

So, what about the control systems controlling the devices that detect poisons and biological hazards that may be entered in the mail?

Those are *NOT* made by Siemens, thankfully...

the infowarrior

[Pride_of_the_Bluegrass]

An even more dangerous upgrade of the power-station-attacking Stuxnet worm could be upon us soon, according to the latest gossip around cyberspace.

The opening paragraph should also include a warning about ufo’s, swallowing spiders, and the bilderburgers.

[txhurl]

I think I read 3000 Iranian centrifuges whirred to a stop with stuxnet. Haven’t heard of anything blowing up or breaking in half yet, since infected systems get shut down.

[justa-hairyape]

So far just rumors. Of course Iran would be foolish to confirm. Now we do apparently watch the centrifuge electromagnetic signatures so perhaps it was confirmed by our spies.